Looking for a way to improve your fitness and performance? Don't ever feel pressured to turn to performance enhancing drugs, try these clean tips to get you to your fittest self!

Get in the zone

Looking after your mental wellbeing means your body will be well looked after too, and more effective. It can be stressful being an athlete as you can feel as if you have a lot of pressure put on you. Be sure to talk about your feelings and worries, and know there are professionals who can help if you feel your mind is affecting your performance. The way you talk to yourself is really important, so be sure you're saying nice things!

Get enough sleep

Sleep and rest is a very important part of an athlete's training programme - less sleep increases the possibility of fatigue, low energy, and poor focus at game time. It may also slow recovery post-game. So make sure you're getting enough ZZZs!

Practise, Practise, Practise

If there's something you just can’t quite get, chat to somebody about it and see if they can help you with some top tips. Struggling with strokes in the pool? Take it back to basics and break it down bit by bit. Find it hard to get off the blocks? Practice your start over and over again. It’s the smallest things that can make a big difference. As Bruce Lee said:"I fear not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times."

Get nourished

You need to eat the right food for your body in order for it to work properly. Food fuels your body for exercise and replaces energy that is used up training. It's essential give your body the nutrition it needs in order to compete at full strength and recover quickly after a workout.

Warm up

If you don't warm up before your work out, not only will it not be as effective a workout, but it also increases your risk of injury. Injuries can stop athletes from competing, or even training, which means warming up is essential before exercising.

Remember, it's much more satisfying to enjoy success that you've gained or your own merit from hard work, rather than turning to any 'quick fix solutions.'